This invention relates to diapers. While the features described herein may be successfully employed with diapers in any form, they are particularly suited for incorporation into disposable diapers of the form including an absorbent body and a fluid impervious backing sheet, the diaper being folded into a box pleat configuration.
Typically such diapers have been commercially available in a form wherein the diapers are folded lengthwise, presenting a rectangular configuration as the user takes the diaper from the box in which it is sold. The user then unfolds the diaper along this fold through the crotch region, the result being a diaper having a more elongated rectangular configuration, but requiring various further unfolding and "fanning out" of the waistline diaper regions. These subsequent operations, of course, require the simultaneous supporting of the infant. These operations require varying degrees of manual dexterity and infant cooperation to be completely successful.
In a presently popular commercial prior art diaper, spots of glue are provided in the crotch region of the absorbent pad to maintain the box pleat configuration in the crotch region as the parent fans the waistline regions and applies the diaper to the infant. Such diapers suffer from the same drawbacks discussed immediately above and, as initially unfolded by the parent, present a rectangular object for application to the complexly curved body portions of the infant.